My Writing Cycle

Everything in the world is cyclical, including how I operate in terms of writing. My cycle has four main stages:

1) Working hard, praying hard, and expecting things to change any minute. This is the stage where I get the most writing done. I’m fired up and using all my energy to move ahead as fast as I can.

2) A wait and see period. This stage may include less writing. Something may have happened to make me doubt myself. I’m often the most active at this time in writing groups, attending conferences, taking classes, and doing all I can to learn more. I’m still sure things are going to turn out well in my writing career, but I’ve lost the all-out enthusiasm I had earlier.

3) A time of re-thinking this whole career-minded thing. Should I get another job? Should I write only for fun? Should I give my writing away as a gift and forget about the money? I may be feeling a little depressed about life in general and my writing in particular. I am definitely unsure about my path, about any path, and I spend more time doing “nothing.” Little to nothing gets accomplished related to moving forward in my writing and writing career.

4) Back through the wait and see period. I may or may not be doing more writing now. Something has happened (something I heard or read, something a friend said, etc.) and I spend more time thinking about everything that has happened so far in my writing life, and how short-sighted it would be to quit if I later learned I was nearly there.

Finally I re-enter the kick-butt period again.

Any of these four cycles may last from a few moments to a few months. (A couple times, I’ve been in stage two for a year or more.) But this is why I always end up cycling back around to writing hard and expecting publication and a couple of checks at any moment: God keeps encouraging me to never give up.

Is it weird that I think God wants me to write? No weirder than a number cruncher believing he’s in the right field. He has a gift and he’s using it. To bring in the money issue, no weirder than an athlete working toward the goal of moving from amateur to professional status.

Do I think there is something amazing about my stories that is somehow going to change the world for the better? Yes. I don’t know what or how, but true gifts make life better. When you give a store clerk the gift of a smile and a thank you, you are making their life better. When you encourage someone or make them laugh after a long, hard day, you are giving them a gift and making their life better.

There is nothing weird about looking for purpose in life and finding it. Hundreds of books have been written on the subject. Why shouldn’t you believe your writing is part of your purpose? I received my final assignment in the mail this week from one of my master degree classes. Not only did my teacher give me a good grade on the first young adult piece I’ve ever written, but she gave me some great comments explaining to me the strengths she saw. Because of her comments, I’m doing some serious thinking about my strengths as a writer and what that means as I continue moving forward.

Next week I want to talk to you about opportunity cost. Have you ever applied that business concept to your writing? If you haven’t, you should. It will help you stay in stage one above longer, and it will give you added strength in the tough times.